Leander, TX Tree Protection: Heritage & Protected Trees (2026)

The Zoning Ordinance (Exhibit A to Code of Ordinances Ch. 14), Article VI, Sec. 1(c), governs tree preservation citywide. A Heritage Tree is a tree on the Planning Department's preferred plant list or the Grow Green Guide that measures more than 26 caliper inches, excluding hackberry, mountain juniper, ash juniper, bois d'arc, cottonwood, chinaberry and sycamore unless the specimen is unusually large or significant. Under Sec. 1(c)(1), no property under an active plat, site development permit, or building permit application may clear-cut or selectively clear a Heritage Tree without City approval first.

Sec. 1(c)(3) requires Heritage Trees to be preserved on site unless removal is approved, to be shown on the Tree Preservation Plan filed with the plat or site plan, and marked with a note that they cannot be removed without a permit; preserved trees can be credited against separate landscaping requirements. Removal runs through the Heritage Tree Removal Permit process in Sec. 1(c)(5)(i): the Planning & Zoning Commission reviews the application and recommends approval or denial, and the City Council holds final authority to issue the permit, weighing tree size, health, location, other trees preserved on site, and whether the project was designed to avoid removal.

Limited exceptions under Sec. 1(c)(2) apply to trees the Planning Director finds dead, dying, or fatally diseased (an arborist letter is required if the condition is not obvious), trees that are dangerous after a storm or other disaster, and trees blocking a street sight triangle. Where removal is approved, Sec. 1(c)(5)(iii) sets mitigation at a 3-to-1 caliper-inch ratio, or a $300 fee per caliper inch removed, with a $150-per-caliper-inch payment-in-lieu option if the Planning Director finds on-site replacement impractical. Construction within a preserved tree's critical root zone is separately capped under Sec. 1(c)(9)(iv) at no more than 50% of the total root zone.